My Li'l Brat No 1 Under Every Circumstance
by colakirk
Summary: A Top/Brat fic with Hughes and Neal. Reposted from collarkink. Warning: This fic contains spanking. Don't like, please don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I wrote these couple of fics a while back and I thought I'd put them together with my other fics on as I was starting to lose track.

**Warning:** This TOP/BRAT fic contains spanking.

Anon prompt from collarkink . com

'_**Several times in last weeks episode, Hughes touched Neal in a gentle way... and gave him a very stern look in a couple of others - one where Neal looked positively penitent (in his office). Id love to see a fic where Hughes/Neal are Top/Brat and a good spanking occurs after his behaviour in the last episode (with lots of pleading by Neal, which Hughes finds adorable :)'**_

**Under Every Circumstance**

_6:30 Where are you!_

Neal studied the text message on his Blackberry. _What the? Crap?_ He checked the alarm clock on his bedside table, not that he needed confirmation. It was indeed six thirty. _Damn._

He grabbed a short sleeve maroon coloured polo shirt. It was the first piece of clothing he put his hands on. Perhaps he should have chosen something warmer but there wasn't time. He slipped on his loafers, grabbed the house keys and bolted for the door. Six thirty one. _Damn!_

Luckily he didn't have to travel far, only about a dozen city blocks from June's house to where Reece Hughes had an apartment. Unfortunately for Neal though, those twelve blocks gave the young man way too much time to think. What possible excuse could he come up with this time? Were there any he hadn't tried out already? Maybe this time, his justifications would be accepted; after all, it had been one hell of a crazy day…

Neal heard Reece before he saw him, "Three guards from the transfer bus are in custody. We've confirmed that Keller paid off two of them and the driver." Neal stepped through the front office door with Diana. "Lang was paid a ransom…CAFFREY, BARRIGAN!" The insides of Neal's stomach dropped as he stared into the eyes of one very angry Reece Hughes. The young con would have been more than happy to turn on his heels and head back out at that point but he got the two finger point ensuring he wouldn't be headed any where but… "My office!"

Neal's emotions where riding a rollercoaster as he listened to Reece tell both of them off and it wasn't a ride he was enjoying. "We told you to go home and," Diana got a finger stabbed in her direction, "you were to take him there."

Neal made a mental note to somehow make it up to the young female agent but for now, "Sir, I know that but…"

"But you made an exchange, exactly what we said we don't do." True enough, Neal thought, but at the same time, he'd been perfectly clear in stating his own opinion at the time.

"Sir, in his defense, no one knows Keller better than Neal, had we interceded in anyway he thought they would have killed Peter."

"I'll deal with you later." And there it was. Neal didn't need clarification. While to Diana, it would have sounded like Reece had been talking to her, the young man knew all to well, those few words were for his ears entirely. How many times had he heard that same phrase since he'd agreed to letting Reece take him under his wing? 'I'll deal with you later.' The words rang in his ears.

…And as Neal began to pick up his pace towards his Top's apartment, he knew exactly how Reece Hughes planned to 'deal with him!'

Neal stood outside the brownstone, catching his breath. Six fifty-five. Surely that wasn't too bad? What's twenty-five minutes between friends? Who was he kidding? His Top was a stickler for punctuality! Maybe he could claim he miss heard the order, after all there'd been lots of noise in the office bull-pen around that time…

"I'm out." Peter's voice through the speaker phone was music to their ears. Loud cheers intermingled with sighs of relief spread instantaneously throughout the room.

"Hang tight Peter we're on our way." Neal couldn't remember a time he'd seen Reece so happy at work. For sure he wanted Reece to wrap him up into a loving embrace but that wasn't 'appropriate' at the Bureau. Instead, Neal was almost as delighted to have the older man clamp a firm hand on his shoulder followed by a rare 'at work' back slap. Neal was reveling in the moment when out of nowhere he plainly heard Reece whisper the words 'six thirty' into his ear.

…Yeah. He'd heard the order. Loud and clear. The young con looked at his watch. Six fifty-six._ Damn._


	2. Chapter 2

Reece Hughes peaked out the second floor bedroom window and down at his young brat below. He'd seen this all before. Neal arriving late and then making the situation even worse by standing out on the footpath, nervously deciding if it was better or not to take those final steps. It always made him laugh that such a brilliant young man could find such a simple decision so difficult. But he wouldn't have it any other way. As he headed out of his bedroom and down the stairs, he thought back to a time when he watched the young con pull one knucklehead stunt after another. He'd been ready to throttle the young kid after he did a free fall out of the judge's window but the final straw came when the boy borrowed his car to drive Sara Ellis home. Someone had to rein him in and while Peter was a caring partner and great friend to the young con, the worse consequence Neal had to put up with from Peter was a stern lecture and the occasional threat that he'd get his butt thrown back in prison if he ever tried anything like that again. After the Sara Ellis incident, Reece had made some excuse for Neal to come around to his apartment after work and after a very long chat, the two men worked out their discipline agreement that seemed to work very effectively in helping the younger man to curb his impulsive behaviour and if nothing else, offer a tangible consequence for reckless behaviour as opposed to mere empty threats.

Reece swung open his door and beckoned to his brat. "Get in here!" After almost jumping out of his skin, Neal quickly composed himself and walked confidently to the door, giving a brilliant smile to the older man. Reece grabbed hold of his cheeky brat and pulled him through the doorway. He closed and locked the door while still holding the younger man's upper arm and then delivered six very hard swats to Neal's backside. Neal wasn't at all shocked. It had been expected. Reece had said six thirty and his top was a 'stickler for punctuality'!

As soon as he was released, Neal all but threw himself into the oversized arm chair in the living area. Best to get his butt out of the line of fire as quickly as possible! "What a day! It's such a relief to have Peter home safely, don't you think?" Neal tried to get off the topic of his late arrival.

"That's for sure." Reece sat on the couch across from Neal. "I've got to tell you young one, all those men and women who work in that office, I'm personally responsible for them and if anything ever happens to them, which sadly it has, it's something you never get over." Reece appeared deep in thought and it worried the younger man to hear of the heavy burden that lay on his top's shoulders.

"Well, thankfully it all worked out today." Neal tried to lighten the mood. "Everyone got to go home safe and well, except for Lang of course."

"True. But despite the fact that we had a happy ending, I've got to tell you Neal I'm very disappointed in the way you went about trying to help Peter. It was reckless, dangerous and you should have let us do our job." Reece was using his firm voice causing Neal to jump on the defensive.

"It wasn't an option Reece besides, what part of my helping out is cause for you being upset with me?"

Reece gave Neal the, 'are you kidding me look'. "Your side deal with Keller, the fact that I had Diana escort you home only to have you go off on one of your knucklehead schemes once again, as well as you disobeying a direct order."

"Well, I'm sorry Reece, but keeping Peter alive was more important to me than following an order that I totally disagreed with in the fiirst place."

"Listen young one," Reece leaned forward on the couch and rested his arms on his thighs, getting himself a little closer to Neal's personal space, "I know why you did it and I understand. Peter is very important to me too."

Phew! Neal visibly relaxed. He slunk back into the arm chair and smiled happily with relief. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I thought for sure I was in for a spanking." Neal grinned across at Reece.

The grin was not returned. "You _are_ going to get a spanking, young one." Reece announced the punishment as casually as someone else might announce dinner.

"Oh come on!" The young man sprung to his feet. "Surely you can't be serious."

Reece sat back and prepared himself to ride out the forthcoming tirade. He knew it was coming. It always came. His brat was so predictable. Reece had never once issued a spanking without first having to watch his young charge pitch a fit.

"That's so unfair. All I did was help to save Peter and there's no way I'm going to let you put me across your knee for that!" Neal was pacing back and forth across the living room and the older man decided to rein in his brat before he really crossed the line.

"I think you could do with some corner time, young one." Reece hopped up from the couch and hooked the younger man's arms during his next pass across the room. Neal was too busy pleading his case to even notice he was being pulled to the corner. "Face the wall, hands by your sides. Calm down and think about why you're about to get a spanking."

Reece hadn't taken more than a single step away when his brat spun and continued to rant. "I'm not standing in the corner like some naughty boy. I didn't do anything wrong!"

Reece raised his eyebrows. This was a new one. Neal had never been so blatantly defiant to his face before. Reece made his way back to the couch, this time with Neal in tow. The older man made himself comfortable and began to undo his brat's button and fly.

"Wait." Neal finally realised the position he'd put himself in and his anger quickly turned to panic. "Reece, I'm sorry. I'll go and stand in the corner." The young man watched despairingly as his pants, followed by his boxers, hit the floor. Not much chance getting out of it at this point so he allowed himself to be pulled over Reece's lap. His top didn't waste time getting started. The first smack was stinging and the young con let out a yelp. He always forgot just how much it stung. Reece followed that up with a series of stinging smacks that covered Neal's backside everywhere from the top his butt to the bottom of his thighs. The young man was a little surprised soon after when the spanking came to end and he felt himself being pulled back up. He was grateful that he'd gotten out of it so lightly. Brushing the tears from his eyes he stood looking as Reece pulled himself back up off the couch and once again dragged the younger man back to the corner. Neal managed to kick out of his pants and boxers as he realised what was happening, else they would have been dragged across the floor too. Neal was deposited back into his corner. "Reece?"

"Yes."

"Why am I back in the corner?" The young man spoke carefully, not wanting to push any more buttons.

"To think about why you are going to get a spanking, remember? Surely you couldn't have forgotten in such a short time? Reece smiled knowing exactly what his brat would whine about next.

"But Reece." Yep, that was a whine if he'd ever heard one. "You just spanked me already."

"No young one." Reece patted the younger man's back gently. "Those swats you just received were for not standing in the corner like you were asked. Now unless you need another lesson on how to stand in the corner, I suggest you stop talking, press your nose against the wall and work out what you're going to tell me when I ask you again, why you are about to be spanked."

Reece waited for a moment to see if there would be any objections then he returned to his spot on the couch picked up his paper and glasses and flipped to the finance section. The peace and quite was pure bliss.

Thirty minutes later, he put the paper down and looked over at his brat. Reece took in the appearance of the reckless young man. His polo shirt stopped short at the top of his butt, leaving full view of two very red cheeks and a couple of hand prints clearly visible at the top of each leg. Reece shook his head. Neal still had a lot to learn but for sure he'd come a long way already. His brat hadn't moved from his spot nor had he uttered a single sound in the last thirty minutes but his hands were working on something that the older man couldn't see. "If you're digging another hole in that wall with your fingers, I'm going to go fetch my belt."

Neal immediately dropped his hands to his sides and lowered his head. This brought a huge grin to Reece's face. The young kid was an easy read. "Neal," He put on his stern voice. "Come here now, please."

Neal turned and still with his head lowered, came and sat beside Reece on the couch. He tried to find a comfortable position but his butt was still smarting so he half lied on his side across the top of Reece's lap. The older man began to run his fingers through the boy's hair. "Now, Neal, why am I going to spank you?"

Neal let out a huge sigh. "Because I disobeyed you."

"I can tell from your tone Neal that you don't think that's a very big deal."

"No. I know it's a big deal. I just don't think I should be spanked for it, that all."

"Neal, when we first made this arrangement, we agreed on some things. And this was one of them. I made it very clear, you were never to disobey me."

"Even if it meant helping a friend?"

"Under every single circumstance young one. No exceptions."

"Well for the record, I don't like that rule anymore."

_What a surprise._ Reece continued to stoke the younger man's hair. "Tell me why else you are getting the spanking, Neal."

The young man turned his body so he could look up at his top confused. "I didn't think there was anything else."

Reece studied the boy before turning him back over his knee and adding three more very hard smacks to the red backside.

"Hang on! I'm getting the spanking because…" Neal shouted and quickly searched his brain for another reason. "Because…." _Damn_. He had nothing. Reece landed an additional three smacks and then turned the boy back over once again so he could look him in the eye.

"Because you put yourself in danger, once again, my impulsive little delinquent."

"I did not!" Neal replied indignantly while sitting up to face his accuser.

"Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"So, let me get this straight. You never ran towards the van, a van full of gun toting mad men without so much as a Kevlar vest between yourself and a truck load of bullets?"

"Well, they had Peter…and I was just hoping to be able to save him somehow."

"I see. Okay then. And you never went to see Keller at the prison by yourself knowing full well what the lunatic was perfectly capable of?"

"He was in prison for goodness sake. I was never in any danger."

"No you're right. It's not like a prisoner has ever acquired a makeshift knife or any type of weapon for that matter. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess prisoners only have access to harmless items along the lines of guard uniforms and key card striping cassette players. Lucky for us hey, young one?"

Neal gulped, "Yeah, very lucky."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Did you meet with Lang, alone, without backup, without protection, without so much as a can of pepper spray in a park or did I just imagine that?"

"No," Neal gave in, "You didn't imagine it."

"Come here, young one." Reece pulled his brat in for a tight hug. "It's been quite a day hasn't it?"

The young man nodded. He couldn't disagree with that.

Reece pushed the young man to his feet. "Come on, let's take care of this. Go get me the paddle please."

"Yes, Sir." Neal dragged his feet across to the antique sideboard and pulled out the bottom drawer. He always hoped it might not be there when he opened the drawer, but there it sat, looking up at him menacingly. It was a heavy polished wooden paddle, the old school type and it stung like the devil. Neal hated the thing with a passion.

"Let's go Neal."

The young man removed the paddle and returned to the couch handing it over to the older man. "How many am I going to get?"

Reece laughed on the inside, Neal always asked. He never gave him an answer but still every time, it was the last thing the boy would ask before lying across his knee.

"You'll get what you deserve, young man." Reece wrapped his left arm around his brat's waist and lifted the paddle to shoulder height. The heavy wooded paddle slammed onto the young man's butt eliciting a short squeal followed by the steady flow of tears. Reece pulled back again and struck his brat's backside, hard. Reece didn't find this task particularly easy but he knew it was important for the young kid to learn that he couldn't continually put himself in harms way or continue with the same shenanigans that resulted in him being locked up in the first place. Reece delivered a very sound hiding while the young man, wriggled, cried, pleaded and ultimately accepted his punishment. Eventually, Reece placed the paddle on the arm of the couch and slid his hand under Neal's polo shirt to rub gentle circles on the boy's back. "Shhh. It's okay now young one. Shhh." Reece continued to comfort his brat for a good twenty minutes while the younger man got himself under control. Finally, the crying stopped and Reece was able to ask, "Can I get you a glass of water?"

"Soon." Neal didn't want to move from his spot and while his butt felt like it was on fire, he couldn't think of any place he'd rather be than over his top's lap with his back been rubbed and his hair being played with.

"So you've learnt your lesson, young one. No more disobeying me please."

"No Sir. I won't ever disobey you again… Unless of course I disagree with you."

"Neal." Reece growled. "Do I need to go over the lesson again?"

"No Sir. You won't ever need to paddle me again. I will never do anything wrong, ever again."

There was a moment of silence before both men chuckled at the ludicrous statement.

Reece ruffled the young man's hair, "Brat!"


End file.
